On August 19, the trial of a prominent religious scholar in Uzbekistan, Alisher Tursunov, better known to the public as Mubashshir Ahmad, opened in court. He was extradited from Turkiye in May and a criminal case against him opened in August. He has been under arrest since May 10.
Ahmad faces charges of illegally producing and circulating religious materials, distributing content deemed a threat to public order and security, and inciting national, racial, ethnic, or religious hostility. At the first hearing, Ahmad rejected the allegations of spreading materials that endanger public security, and argued that the unauthorized religious materials in question had not been distributed within Uzbekistan’s territory.
Born in 1974 in the Uzbek SSR, Ahmad is from Namangan, a very religious and densely populated area of Uzbekistan. Like most Islamic scholars of the country, he first studied at a local religious institution and continued his studies in Egypt before returning to Uzbekistan in early 2000s. In 2017, Ahmad founded the Azon New Media group, which produced various online materials and encompassed the website Azon.uz, the online radio Azon FM, and the online television channel Azon TV.
The Diplomat earlier reported that despite Ahmad voicing pro-government positions, especially in matters of public concern such as the unrest in Karakalpakstan in 2022 or the Russia-Ukraine war, he still became an “unwanted figure” due to the popularity of his platform. He was dismissed from the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan in 2018. Running Azon New Media was also difficult, with his team constantly facing threats and insults from Uzbekistan’s formal institutions.
Eventually Azon New Media shut down in 2023 with no notice, but Ahmad and his team started another platform, Azan Global, after removing all of their previous religious content. Ahmad fled to Turkiye, where he was arrested in December 2023 and released in February 2024.
Then, on May 8, 2025, he was again arrested in Istanbul, and was deported to Uzbekistan a few days later. A bilateral agreement on extradition between Turkiye and Uzbekistan has been in place since 2019.
Ahmad’s lawyer, Ruslan Sodiqov, via a public post on Facebook in July, said that at the time of arrest and during the ensuing investigation, Ahmad had requested to work with his chosen lawyer, but was refused and provided with a lawyer by the government.
Sodiqov also noted that during the investigation, it was found that the materials published in Ahmad’s platforms and social media did not contain any crimes against the Republic of Uzbekistan, nor did their activities involve any serious offenses against peace and security. The only exception is Ahmad’s remarks on the Israel-Gaza conflict, which “the expert examination concluded… had elements of incitement to national, racial, ethnic, or religious hatred.” However, Ahmad’s lawyer argued that the purpose of distributing this material was to prevent misinterpretation of religious rulings such as the belief that traveling to Gaza to defend Muslims was a personal obligation and to avert a repeat of past events, when people left the country en masse for Syria in the 2000s. If found guilty on this account, Ahmad might face detention or restriction of freedom for up to five years.
Sodiqov further noted that although the Committee on Religious Affairs concluded that the material (particularly a video titled “What does the ulama’s fatwa on jihad against Israel mean?”) contained extremist ideas, there is no expert opinion on the intent behind the material.
Despite being an open trial, with journalists welcome to attend, video or audio recording of the proceedings is prohibited. The Supreme Court also preemptively urged journalists and bloggers to avoid actions that could generate social pressure on the court during the course of the case.
The next hearing is set for September 8, where experts are expected to participate. Ahmad remains in detention.
Ahmad’s case has been ongoing for years with on-and-off threats, insults, arrests, and attempts to shut him down. It symbolizes the government’s efforts to suppress any religious voice that diverges from government control amid a growing demand for freedom of expression, especially on matters of religion. The Diplomat earlier reported on the disturbing arrest of religious bloggers and even ordinary citizens over arguably minor issues such as sharing religious songs or informing the public that some dairy products might contain non-Shariah compatible food additives.
Unlike bloggers with a few hundred or a couple of thousand followers, Ahmad is reputable among the public and enjoys mass popularity. He has decades of religious education, taught at religious institutions, and served the most prominent religious scholar of modern Uzbekistan, the late Muhammad Sadiq. But unlike many other religious scholars who work at government institutions, Ahmad has his own platforms with millions of followers. The Uzbek government tends to instinctively suppress even the earliest signs of dissent, viewing anything beyond its control as a potential threat to its authority.
Citing the “relatively lenient” nature of the charges and drawing on his past experience with similar cases, Ahmad’s lawyer voiced hope that the court would refrain from imposing a prison sentence.
Yet, given the broader clampdown on religious bloggers, Ahmad may still face restrictions on his freedom, including a ban on using the internet and engaging with the media for several years. This would mark another setback for freedom of speech in Uzbekistan and deepen the chilling effect on independent voices across the country.
